NC Mom Pleads Guilty To Involuntary Manslaughter After Son, 3, Freezes To Death On Porch

Jamie Basinger was unconscious with drugs in her system, as her 3-year-old son was dying outside back in March. The mom has since pleaded guilty to manslaughter!

A North Carolina woman, Jamie Basinger, 24, lost her son, Landyn Basinger, 3, earlier this year when he froze to death outside their home in March. Months later, on Dec. 11, the mother pleaded guilty to an involuntary manslaughter charge, according to the Associated Press. Part of the horror of this story is that Jamie admitted to having drugs in her system as her little boy stood outside freezing to death. When tested, several illegal substances were found in her system — including methamphetamine and marijuana. Click here to see pics of celebs who passed away in 2017.

Jamie reportedly told deputies that the last time she saw Landyn was when she put him to bed at 10:30 pm the night he died, March 14. Authorities believe Landyn then walked out of the house and tried unsuccessfully to get back in. However, Jamie was sound asleep and did not hear him crying. “She didn’t hear him. She didn’t hear him leave the room. Didn’t hear him leave the house. Didn’t hear him banging on the door. She was asleep while he was freezing to death,” Assistant District Attorney Michelle Lippert said, WSOC reports.

That night, temperatures were in the 20s with a wind chill as low as 4 degrees, court officials said. When prosecutors read details of Landyn’s death at her sentencing, Jamie reportedly fought back tears. “[Jamie] has not done well at all since Landyn’s death,”Jamie’s attorney, Frank Webster, said, adding that the toddler’s death was a “tragic accident.” Jamie has been sentenced to 19 and 32 months in prison. That sentence was suspended and she was give three years’ probation, with credit for 245 days already served. Originally, the mother was charged with felony child abuse in Landyn’s death, but prosecutors dropped that count as part of a plea deal.

Landyn’s body ended up being found on the porch by neighbors on March 15, just two days after he reportedly celebrated his third birthday. Autopsy findings showed the child had blood on his face but no signs of trauma, the News Herald reported.